Slapstick comedy, overly dramatized characters, and a Byzantine maze of a set buoy a comedic stage production that evolved from the popular murder mystery board game “Clue.”
On a Broadway tour stop at the Providence Performing Arts Center, the show drew heavily on the 1985 black comedy film featuring a brilliant ensemble cast that included comedy legends Tim Curry and Madeline Kahn. In 90 short minutes, with no intermission, the production transports audiences to the beginning of the Cold War Era and McCarthyism, as familiar game characters Mrs. Peacock, Mr. Green, Miss Scarlett, and others come to life.
We start in the foyer of a towering Victorian manor as the eclectic characters arrive by cryptic invitation of its owner, Mr. Boddy, who is played like an old-school mafioso in a cheap suit and white loafers. Once Mr. Boddy gives them their assignment – to kill his disloyal butler Wadsworth – and their weapons – rope, lead pipe, candlestick, revolver – the dead bodies start piling up one by one. The group, led by Wadsworth, comically split up to explore the different rooms in pairs and find the killer … or is it killers?
While the bumbling characters fall into hidden passageways and new arrivals at the manor are quickly bumped off, the show draws heavily on often groan-worthy jokes and dazzling displays of physical comedy. Rooms spin into the main stage from the wings and dramatic lighting helps give the impression of frantic running and even dancing as the characters race around the manor.
But it is the delightful acting that draws regular peals of laughter from the audience. Adam Brett in particular gives a top-notch performance as Wadsworth. In one memorable scene, he walks the group pell-mell through the night’s activities up until that point, to try and uncover clues. The two-minute scene – complete with vocal and imitations of each guest and reenactments of their physical behavior – is comic gold and he executes it flawlessly.
Assuming Kahn’s movie role, Mrs. White, Sarah Mackenzie Baron shines, including delivery of the overly dramatic scene Kahn improvised in the movie about how much she hated her husband’s lover. Nate Curlott’s Colonel Mustard is a solid blend of stodgy soldier and exaggerated dolt, creating the source of most of the production’s dad jokes.
Clue is a mostly family-friendly adventure that reengages us with a favorite board game of our youth, with laughter. It’s like comfort food in an unhinged time.
